RWBY Volume One and a Half
by Adam Sandlin
Summary: About a season worth of fics posted every Thursday here.
1. Back to Beacon Ch 1

**RWBY: Back to Beacon Ch. 1**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

A couple of weeks after the White Fang and Roman tried to steal the dust from the Schnee Dust Company shipment, Beacon had a short break for professor meetings. All students could to go back to their homes for a week. Ruby and Yang spent their break telling their mother about all of their Beacon adventures, wander around town, and talking to old friends. Weiss went back home to listen to her father rant about the White Fang hindering his business. She bit her tongue about Blake, saving them both a lot of stress. Blake decided to stay at Beacon, her home life isn't exactly stable. Staying at a near-empty Beacon where she could walk freely without the worry of everyone thinking less of her for being a faunus is better than having to hide her true self from the public eye. The professors of Beacon didn't really notice her, as she didn't really go out. She liked to stay in her dorm, reading her books. Ever since the break started, she was able to blow through so many stories about the faunus history. She was never bored by history, it's a never ending series to her. Sun didn't come up to see Blake, which was a little disappointing, but she could see why, Beacon is a tough place to get into, especially for a mischievous faunus that isn't going to be a hunter in any way whatsoever.

Blake woke up on Monday early that morning. She looked around her empty dorm, books were pretty much… everywhere, the moonlight shone through the windows as she stretched and stepped out of bed. She looked around again thinking that she needs to get her messes cleaned up or else it will never get taken care of. It will just get worse and worse because her teammates never clean anything. On the other hand, she could get back to the story she's been working on for the last couple of days, it was about a king that only looked out for him and his favorite subject, which, oddly enough, was a cow. It was fascinating, to say the least, that it was also based off of a true story from before the faunus were forced to stay in Menageria by humans.

As Blake was nearing the end of the story, the clock ticked to 8:00, it's about time for the students to come back from their homes. Blake sighed and set down the book on her shelf and looked around yet again. She saw how many things she had just laying around, the sheer mess she had to clean up. It was pretty depressing to her, she didn't like to clean this much. There were some taps from the stairs coming up to the room and she realized it was her teammates. She quickly tied the bow over her ears and shoved the books back on the shelf and threw away the cups. She had enough time to hastily lay down on her bed and act like she was still asleep.

"Hey Blake!" Ruby and Yang shouted as they walked in the room with their luggage. Blake hid her sweat and pants by stretching and yawning like she had just woke up.

"Hey. How was your break?" she inquired, even though she already knew how it went. In her mind she both envied them for being able to go to a home that had at least one caring parent and be able to roam their hometown without any judgement from anyone, but then again, last week was one of the best she's had in a long time. She was able to just be alone for so long.

"It was great! We even got you a book! We know how much you like that!" Ruby said, handing her a fairly large book. Blake was curious about the book, how would her friends know how to even buy books? They don't seem to read all that much, they aren't exactly connoisseurs or anything. _The Faunus Menace _was the title. Blake felt her disappointment grow. She looked at them with an expression of neither happiness nor disappointment, just a curious face.

"Did you just buy this because it said faunus on the title?" honestly questioning their intelligence. "And do you even know what menace means?" Ruby didn't answer immediately, she looked around the room in her usual 'little girl' way, and Yang turned to start unpacking.

"So, do you like it?" she asked.

Blake sighed, "I… I love it, thanks Ruby and Yang." She hid her frustration pretty well from them.

Before Blake even stood up, Weiss stepped into the room, she looked around and immediately approached Blake, "Do you know how mad my father is? His shipments are getting cut off so much, his company is bleeding money he says! Because of the White Fang, more dust than ever has been stolen. I know you left that group, but please, tell me why I shouldn't have told him you _were _a part?" she only let Blake open her mouth before she started back up again, "Because we're friends, Blake. I trust that you cannot do anything to stop this, but if he keeps talking about this on any future breaks, I may have to just stay here with you, and you know how bad that would be." Blake looked at the others with a confused look on her face. How should she respond?

"Weiss, I-I'm sorry? I don't really know why you're so angry at me." Weiss didn't move back.

She only responded, "I don't know why I'm angry at you either, but you are a faunus, so that may be part of it. I told you I didn't care about that, I know, but right now, I'm just angry with my dad being so caught up with business to notice me. Do you know how many words he said to me all week?" she looked around at all the girls, "I can count on one hand: Hello, Weiss. My father only said two words directed towards me all week." No one talked for what felt like minutes after that.

Ruby looked around, "So, girls, who's ready for class today?" she asked excitedly, trying to change the subject.

"Wait! What time is it?!" Yang asked, remembering that classes started at 9:00.

"It's 8:35, enough time to get some breakfast" Blake responded calmly.

"Oh, let's go get something to eat then."

The girls all went to the cafeteria and picked up the usual breakfast they usually get, muffins and fruit. Every student in Beacon went to this breakfast to catch up with their friends. Blake wasn't used to the loud noises and began to miss the break. They all sat in their usual seats, Team JNPR sat across from them. They talked mostly about what they did over their breaks, what they think classes will be like now that midterm projects are coming up. "I'm worried that classes will get insane with this amount of stuff we still have to cover by the time the semester ends." Pyrrha said to the group. Jaune got up to throw away his trash. "I'm worried he'll fall behind even further than he already is." she said in a hushed tone.

"Nah. The professors want the break to come just as much as anybody here, why cram the lessons together? That is more work on their part." Yang said as she bit into her apple. They all didn't say anything, they knew that Yang was right, about the professors not wanting more work than they already have, but they also knew they have to reach a certain point by the mid-term. they all quietly ate their breakfast waiting for someone to bring up another subject.

Leave it to Nora though, to bring up another subject, "Let's go beat someone up!" she exclaimed.

"It's almost time for class, maybe another time Nora." Ren mumbled, not even lifting his head from the table.

"Party pooper." she responded. Everyone started to leave the cafeteria and headed off to their classes.

Today, Team RWBY was going to Port's class, learning about what they could guess: Grimm. Not fighting Grimm, but just learning about them. Their anatomy, history, what they like and dislike. Things that could put anybody to sleep, no matter how much they wanted to be a hunter or huntress. They sat in their usual seats, front row and heard their teacher mumble something as he read it from a piece of paper. When he looked up, he saw his class has taken their seats and waited for him to begin. He stood up from his desk and cleared his throat. "Hello students, as you all know, all of the professors here attended all sorts of meetings last week while you all enjoyed that time from school." Ruby looked around, no one seemed to care. "And this meeting, although it was quite boring for me, told me that maybe the pace needs to be picked up. I have gone easy on you all for now, and as an effect of that, we need to get through four whole units by the time we get off for the holidays." There was a collective groan from the students. "Now, I know it's hard to hide your excitement, but it's time to buckle down and put your nose to the old grindstone." He gave a hearty chuckle and swung his fist. "Now, Open your books to page 1-something or other..." He continued, but Ruby and her teammates began to drift off already. They began to daydream, draw pictures on their papers, anything else to waste the time until class is over.

The team jolted awake as the bell rang, ending the class. "Remember class, study! the test is coming up faster than you think." Port said as he cleaned the board They stood up, and walked out.

"Yang, did you do anything that class other than sit there and sleep?" Weiss asked, probably because she was the only one to stay sort-of tuned in to what Port said.

"No, but I don't think anyone did other than you." She responded, putting her hands in her pockets. "Weiss, do you think you ever go a little overboard on this stuff?" She added.

Weiss turned towards her in shock, "why wouldn't I go 'overboard'? We are here to study and become the best huntresses! I want to do well! And you should too! Ruby studies, she does her work outside of class, why not ask her that?"

"Jeez, calm down. I just asked a simple question." Yang said putting her hands up in defense, "And Ruby studies, but she doesn't push her beliefs onto us, she doesn't act like she is better than us."

Weiss shook her head, "I'm not better than you all, I have to work this hard just to get the grades I do, and now I have to work even harder, and I don't like that you all can just sleep through class and still do better than me!"

Ruby got between them and said sheepishly, "guys, can we not fight? We all just got back." Everyone stopped talking and walked into the cafeteria for lunch. They got the serving for today and sat with their friends. They had an enjoyable lunch, talking about how their teachers are telling them to pick up the pace.

"I don't know why, holidays are, like, in three weeks. Why start the work now?" Yang asked, putting her feet up on the table,biting into her food.

"Because," Pyrrha began, "Because there is still work to do. We can't just waste time here, this is Beacon! The best academy for hunters!" Yang groaned and stood up to go back to the dorm.

"I'm going to catch up on my sleep, come by and get me for class." She said walking out of the cafeteria. Ruby looked at the clock, 1:23. Class starts in about two hours. Plenty of time for Yang.

Pyrrha leaned over to Jaune, who hasn't said much at all since he came back. "Are you ok, Jaune?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. That's all" he replied softly, not even looking up at her.

"Are you well enough to get back to practicing tonight? We have to make up for the break." She said.

"Yeah, that sounds good. It'll take my mind off of-" he paused, "Yeah. Practice, sounds good. I'll be there." He got up and started to walk out. Pyrrha could sense it in his voice, something wasn't right. He's hiding something, but what. She'll just have to find out tonight. She threw her trash away and walked out towards her dorm and relaxed until Oobleck's class.

**To be continued...**


	2. Back to Beacon Ch 2

**RWBY: Back to Beacon Ch. 2**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

As the sun neared the horizon and began to set, students walked to their dorms and got ready for bed. The peaceful night began to dawn and no one would be awake to experience it. Everyone, except for Jaune and Pyrrha. They stood of the roof of their dorm house, standing in the cold breeze. Jaune was shivering in the coolness. "P-Pyrrha, it's a little cold out here, do y-you think we can g-go inside?" He asked holding his body in attempt to hold in the warmth.

"Jaune, it's not that bad." Pyrrha replied, "plus, cold practice is better." Jaune looked at her with a serious face. "You know I'm just kidding, it's just that it's better to be out here instead of in there." She pointed to the door inside. Jaune looked up to the sky, he breathed heavily and rubbed his arms to keep warm.

"Do you think those stars have other planets out there?" Pyrrha was in the center of the roof stretching for practice.

"Are you ready to get started?" Jaune turned around and looked at her,

"Pyrrha, look at those stars," the thousands of stars twinkled in the night sky, "do you think they have planets with other people on them? How small do we seem to them?" Pyrrha rolled her eyes and walked over to him,

"Jaune, I know you're nervous about starting up after the break, but the only way to get better is to practice." Jaune started to turn towards the practice area, but tried to say more, but Pyyrha put her hand over his mouth. "Jaune, what's bothering you? You haven't been the same since the break. What's the matter?" Jaune lowered her hands and put his head down. He didn't respond quickly, but he looked up at her.

"I don't want to say, not yet. I-I can't tell you now." He started to walk back inside, but Pyyrha ran in front of him.

"Jaune, I'm your friend, you can tell me. That's what friends are for, to help you when you need it." He looked at her, it seemed as though he was looking for the right words to say, but couldn't find them,

"Pyrrha, I'm fine, really." he said, looking her in the eyes, "Can I go inside now? It's really cold out here." Pyyrha sighed and stepped out of his way.

As he walked inside, though, he stopped and turned around. He hesitated at first but said "actually, Pyyrha, there is something going on." he stopped and glanced around, "I-I have to leave Beacon." he leaned against the wall and looked down.

"Why?" Pyyrha asked, quickly approaching him.

"My parents told me that I have to leave Beacon, I have to go to Ozpin this week or they will."

"Jaune, you don't have to listen to them, you know what you want. If you want to be a hunter, then you stay here, don't listen to their voices, listen to your heart… as dumb as that sounds."

"How do I keep them from going to Ozpin, then? I have to do this." Jaune wiped his eyes, "Life is like a little box, and as long as I don't clash into the walls, everything is fine, but I've been doing a lot of clashing lately."

"Jaune, how long until you realise that life is all about thinking outside of that box? You limit yourself by thinking that you're normal. You're extraordinary, and you know it. How else would you have gotten yourself into Beacon?" Pyyrha smiled at him, but Jaune didn't change his expression at all, he didn't even look at her.

"I got here because I lied, you know that."

"That wasn't cheating and lying, Jaune, that's the world pushing you towards your destiny. Maybe it was a stroke of luck you found those transcripts, or maybe it was a greater power at work." Jaune looked at her in surprise.

"Were those transcripts yours? Are you why I'm here?" he asked, jumping up from his depressed mood.

"Maybe, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. All that matters here is that you have to stay at Beacon." Pyyrha walked back inside and asked back at Jaune, "Don't you want to come inside? It's freezing out there!" Jaune snickered and walked inside.

The next morning, all of the students were called down to the auditorium for an announcement. Headmaster Ozpin and a few of the professors were on stage. They waited for the students to quiet down before beginning. "Students, I know a few teachers already began to tell you this, but according to Beacon's board members, the amount we've been teaching so far has been significantly lower than past years. They have instructed us to accelerate the material for the winter exams and projects. So starting, well, yesterday, the courses will be much faster. It may seem difficult, but it is required if we want to keep the level of reputation and funding Beacon receives. That being said, I hope you all had a pleasant break, and the holidays are just around the corner. So work hard for the next couple of weeks, and you all can relax for the breaks. That is all, you can proceed to breakfast."

Everyone looked around with a 'is that seriously all?' expression. Everyone expected something more than that if they bothered to call everyone down here, but, no, there wasn't any more. Everyone proceeded to breakfast and their morning classes. nothing all that special apart from the insane pace Oobleck had. It was faster than normal, which Ruby had previously thought was impossible.

During lunch, Jaune left the table and walked towards Ozpin's office. He knocked on the door nervously. "Come in," Ozpin said. Jaune quietly opened the door and stood in the doorway. "Ah, Jaune Arc. How nice to see you. How was your break?"

"It's great to see you too, Ozpin, and it was fine." he replied sheepishly. "Um, I need to tell you something, if that's okay with you." He got closer to his desk.

"Alright, what do you have to tell me, Jaune?" Ozpin picked up his coffee mug and smiled.

"My transcripts that I used to apply here," he paused for a second, "Those aren't really mine." Jaune's heart pounded in anticipation of what he'll do to him. Ozpin blinked a couple of times and seemed to be thinking for a second.

"Oh, those transcripts? Yeah, those didn't really matter. When we chose you, we saw not a fighter that was ready, no, not at all." He chuckled, "We saw a lot of raw ability that can be made into a great hunter, that's what this school is for, after all." Jaune smiled, "People assume they have to be great to come here, that they have to already know it all. That isn't what school is for, it's for learning and becoming the best. It isn't a place to boast your previous knowledge. We took you because you knew you wanted to become a hunter, and that Beacon would get you there." Jaune was speechless, he didn't get in on someone else's merit, but his own potential. For once, Jaune felt like he was doing something on his own. That he was the one deciding what he wants. "Jaune, I also know your parents don't want you to continue your education here, they came to me yesterday night." he took a sip of coffee. "I told them that Jaune is the one to decide this, and that they have no say in what he truly wants. They were more than upset, but they left."

"So, I can stay here? My parents aren't taking me out of Beacon?"

"Of course, I hope to see something great from you in the near future."

Jaune breathed deeply, dismissing the stress from this whole endeavour. He thanked Ozpin for his time and walked out of his office and rejoined his friends for the rest of lunch. He was back as his old self and liked it that way.

Team RWBY talked to everyone about finding out more about Penny, and talked about going into Vale for a day asking around about her. Everyone felt pretty confident that someone would know about her. "This weekend, we find out who Penny is once and for all!" Ruby exclaimed.


	3. Penny

**RWBY: Penny**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

That saturday, while the rest of Beacon slept in, team RWBY was getting ready to head out into town. They wanted to get an early start. Well, Ruby wanted to get an early start. The rest wanted to spend the morning like everyone else, sleeping. Ruby, however, wouldn't let them have a choice.

"Come on, guys! We only have this weekend to find out!" she cried eagerly getting ready and trying to get her friends out of bed. "You guys said that this would be a good idea!"

"Ruby," Weiss said tiredly, muffled from having her pillow cover her head from Ruby, "That was past us, they make decisions that hurt us mostly. _They_ said that this would be a good idea! I never agreed to anything this outrageous!"

"Lighten up Weiss," Yang said, getting out of her bed, "We made a commitment, and we have to honor it. Plus, Penny obliterated the White Fang practically, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start looking for her, or at least who she even is."

Weiss rolled her eyes from under the pillow and threw it across her bed and sat up. She looked at Ruby with an irritated expression and got up. She walked over to her dresser and turned around. "Why aren't you yelling at Blake to get up?" She pointed at the girl still in her bed, looking as if she was still asleep.

"Weiss," Ruby began, "Blake is, like, part cat. So-"

"What does that mean!?"

"Don't cats sleep for like twenty hours a day? Even if I tried to wake her up, she would just go back to sleep," Ruby said confidently. Weiss rolled her eyes again and walked over to Blake's bed and pushed her out. Blake screamed and stood up faster than lightning.

"W-what was that for!? What did I do!?" She yelled, still wondering what was going on.

"You need to wake up," Weiss said, "we're looking for Penny, care to join us?" Blake looked at her with a desire to go over and hurt her, but just shook her head and walk over to her dresser. Ruby waited in the doorway patiently for her friends to get ready for this adventure they were about to embark on. No one talked, they all just looked at one another with a tired, upset expression. Yang didn't even talk, she didn't even move with any cheer. She kinda just moped around. Ruby dismissed it as just early morning tiredness.

As soon as they were all ready, they left Beacon Academy and headed into Vale. The shops were still closed and no one was on the streets. "Way to go, Ruby," Weiss said bitterly, "We got here early alright. A little too early perhaps." Ruby sighed, she was just so excited to learn more about Penny. She forgot no one in Vale cared.

"Alright, guys!" Yang interjected, her happy mood returning, "Let's go somewhere to see if there are any other early birds out!" She started to walk forward into the city, hoping her friends would just follow her.

"Yang," Blake started quietly, "How can you just be so loud? How can you not think about how you sound to others and just not talk?" Yang stopped, she got a confused look to her face at that question.

"What? Does my voice annoy you?" she replied.

"No, it's just that you always just talk." Blake paused, "And, you never seem to think about what you're saying."

"I know you used to be a part of that White Fang or whatever it is. Do you think your opinion is wrong?"

"No! But, yo-"

"Shh. This conversation isn't about me… it's about you now. Why do _you_ think you asked me how I'm able to talk so much?" Yang's confusing way of making sense struck Blake. She stopped speaking and took a deep breath.

"I guess I do have some feelings about that. I just assumed that my thoughts were wrong because of that." She stopped talking again. She just let that soak in. She thought she was past that, but it still affects her.

The team walked down to a café down the street and sat at one of the outside tables. They just sat there waiting for someone to come down the street. They waited and waited. They waited so long, they watched the sun rise in the sky. The mood went from quiet anger to silent fury. Ruby was the first to speak, "Guys, maybe it was a mistake to come here this early." Everyone looked at her with an angry face. Their glares shot through Ruby. She smiled awkwardly and gave a shy laugh.

A few moments later, Ruby saw a man walking down the opposite sidewalk, he wore a suit and tie and carried a briefcase. His hair was neatly kept also. Ruby got up and started to run over to him, the rest followed her. He started to pull out some keys and open a door, but was surprised when Ruby got between him and the door. He jumped back and ran into Yang and Weiss. "What are you doing?" he asked, still shocked at how sudden she appeared.

"Mr!" Ruby exclaimed, "Do you know someone?"

"What?"

"Oh! Excuse me, her name is Penny."

Weiss joined the conversation, "She's part robot or something."

"Oh! and she has a backpack full of swords and stuff!" Ruby added.

The guy simply stood there, staring at the girls and didn't say anything. He slowly started to go back towards the door and unlock it. He opened it and said to them, "I don't know any of you or what you're talking about, but you sound crazy. You might need to change how you ask, just some advice." And he walked in and the door closed behind him.

"Well, girls," Weiss turned to them, "We may have a long day ahead of us."

The day dragged on and more and more people came out to walk around Vale. Conversations generally followed a similar route. They all resulted in a similar answer also. Ruby would approach the person and ask about Penny, he or she would get confused. Another member of RWBY would clarify for them, and they would just say no. Sometimes it wouldn't be polite at all

Dinner came quickly then. They all went to the café they started from. They all got a light supper and sat depressingly. They were disappointed with the fact that no one knew who Penny was. "Hey guys," Ruby began, not even looking up from her meal, "There has to be one person in this city to know her. We just have to keep looking." She tried to be optimistic, but it was failing to inspire.

Then, someone walked up to their table and tapped the top of it near Yang. They all looked up at him slowly. He adjusted his posture and cleared his throat. "What do you want?" Yang asked.

"Aren't you the girls that are looking for that one girl? What's her name? Penny?" He asked.

Ruby shot up from her seat and ran over to the man, "Yes!" She exclaimed, "do you know any more about her?"

"No, I don't," he responded, "but I know there's someone else asking about her."

Ruby was puzzled, no one else knew about Penny, but there was another guy out there asking about her too? "Could you describe him for me?" She asked.

He hesitated at first, but started to tell them, "well, he was tall and had a white coat. He also had red hair."

Ruby knew who it was, but tried to hide it from everyone, but her friends knew also. They thanked the man and he walked on to where he was going, and the team debated on if they should find him. "Ruby, I don't think we should go out looking for him. He could just end up trying to find us to cause trouble." Weiss said.

"I think we should meet him, maybe he's made more progress than we have," Ruby responded, starting to get up to head over to where he could be, "and I really want to find out who Penny is."

Weiss gave a gesture to show that she gave up on arguing with Ruby. "Go ahead," Weiss yelled at Ruby, "go find that creep, see if I care!" Ruby kept walking on. Yang and Blake tried to go stop her, but Weiss stopped them. "Let her go, we don't have to follow her all the time," she said sure that Ruby is wrong. The team watched Ruby walk down the street toward the setting sun.


	4. Roman Red

**RWBY: Roman Red**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

The moon was high in the sky as Ruby walked lightly down the sidewalk. The street lamps being the only source of light around. Ruby rubbed her hands to try to keep warm. Her teeth chattered and she looked around. She was near where she was told he would be, but he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he left, maybe she should too. She got disappointed with her foolish decision to come out here. She kept walking towards a darker part of town, where she has never been before. She looked around and shivered, and kept walking. She raised her hood over her head and covered her body to try to keep some kind of warmth.

She walked for a while longer, becoming colder and more tired with every step. She walked until she heard a familiar voice, "I know that shade of red." Ruby quickly turned to where the voice came from. Roman Torchwick was standing there. "I thought you would never make it," he said, walking towards her.

"I heard you were asking around about Penny."

"I've heard the same about you," he smiled at her, "It seems we're after the same thing."

"Have you found anything?" Ruby asked bluntly, she was tired of this creep. She wished that she didn't have to deal with him tonight.

"Sadly, no," he said, "have you?" Ruby shook her head. Roman lit a cigar and blew a billowing cloud of smoke, Ruby coughed a little. "I guess it's for the best, she was a little too weird for me anyway." he sighed and looked up to the sky. The crescent moon seemed to glow. There were almost no stars out that night.

"Aren't you going to try to get me yet?" Ruby asked, waiting for him to turn suddenly and attack her.

"What?" Roman asked, clearly having no ill intentions tonight.

"Aren't you going to attack me or anything? That's what you do. You start a fight, and I usually win." she responded.

"That's wrong, first, but no, no I don't." he responded, "I don't feel like fighting right now, I'm sure you don't either, so let's just act friendly towards each other for now." Roman began to walk away from Ruby.

"Alright then," Ruby began to follow behind him.

"Do you have to follow me, though?" he asked.

"This is the way I came from, so maybe I'm just going the way I came from."

"Fine, just don't be so close…" he paused, "it's just a little creepy." Ruby slowed down to distance herself from him.

They walked like this until Roman stopped at a lit intersection. He turned towards her and breathed deeply, "Ruby, I have to tell you something," he leaned towards her.

"What?"

"About that tournament that's coming up," he looked around to make sure no one was around, "I wouldn't show up if I were you." Ruby didn't know what that meant, but she would make sure to remember that. "That's all I can tell you, I just don't want this hurting anymore." Ruby was more confused by that statement. What pain is he talking about? Roman turned away and walked down another street into the dark of night.

Ruby began to walk back to Beacon, but couldn't stop thinking about what Roman said. What's going to happen at the tournament? It was coming up quickly, and she already said her team would be in it. She looked up at the moon, which was high in the sky now, and began to ask what to do. She was clueless and looked for an answer. Maybe Roman was trying to scare her out of it, or maybe the White Fang are going to strike there. What about the idea of something only happening to her and maybe he could predict the future. She couldn't think straight this tired. All she can do is get back to Beacon and ask her friends when they wake up.

The next morning, everyone woke up late. It was nice for them to sleep in compared to yesterday's early wake-up call. Ruby looked out the window towards the city and was reminded of what Roman told her. She turned to her friends, who were just sitting there, waiting to go get some food. She didn't know where to begin, but knew she had to ask. "Hey, guys." She began slowly.

"What, Ruby?" they responded, not really interested.

"Last night, I met up with Roman."

"And?"

"He didn't know anything about Penny…" She stopped talking, but they knew she had more to tell.

"He told you something else, didn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but-" She paused again.

"RUBY!" Weiss got up and approached her, "Just spit it out already!"

"Alright. He told me not to come to the tournament that's coming up." They all looked at each other with the same confusion she did last night.

"What the hay does that mean?" Yang asked.

"I don't know, but he seemed pretty sure he would be right about whatever was going to happen being bad."

"Well I guess we aren't going to the tournament then." Blake said, shrugging.

"It's not that easy!" Weiss yelled, "We can't just not go! And what about the fact that we would be missing something this big?!"

"What if something awful happens, though? We could get hurt in it." Blake said.

"Even so, we could still be there," Weiss said, "If you all don't go, I'll still go by myself." Weiss walked out of the room, ending the debate. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Ruby stood there, knowing that Weiss could get really hurt if Roman is correct. She doesn't want to admit it, but she believes him. She believes that there will be something horrible to happen, and Weiss will be there to experience it. Ruby tried to convince her, to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen. She's her leader though, and she had a responsibility to make sure her team made it through.

They just went to get some food and chilled out around Beacon for the rest of their weekend. The thought of what Roman said floated around in all of their minds all day, though. They couldn't stop thinking about what could happen during the tournament. Ruby was especially curious by what he told her that she kept from everyone. She had a new feeling of responsibility to learn what pain he was talking about. And why he would even tell her about what would happen. _Roman is a very odd person, _Ruby thought. _Maybe Penny_ _isn't too weird for him._


	5. Legend of the White Fang

**RWBY: Legend of the White Fang**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

The class shuffled through the doors from the cold outside, shivering from the icy winds. They sat in the usual seats, professor Oobleck getting papers from his desk. Ruby set her books down and looked up at the board, more history about things she didn't really care about. The thought of the White Fang at the tournament bounced in her head still, and approached her teacher. "Professor Oobleck," she began, "do you thing we can learn about the White Fang in-depth today?" The professor stopped, and stood completely still, pondering the request.

"Ruby," he turned towards her, "we have a lot to cover in this class, humans have a big history." He took a deep breath and slumped his shoulders, "but, the White Fang are a really interesting topic, one day wouldn't hurt." He went to the board and erased the words. He turned back to Ruby and said, "now, expect a test on this, if I teach something, I have to test you on it." Ruby was ecstatic to learn about this group, even if there'll be a test afterwards.

Oobleck stood in the center of the area, ready to begin. "Class, today we were supposed to learn about the Grand Age of Enlightenment, the first time humans began to truly use science and math when creating not only weapons, but buildings and other creations." He looked at Ruby, "but one of my students has requested to learn about a much more prevalent topic, the White Fang." The class got interested, Oobleck touched upon the White Fang a few times, but never really got into them. "And, yes, there will be a test on all of this, so take notes!" He cleared his throat. "The White Fang truly had their origins during the Faunus War. No, contradictory to your minds, the war wasn't long ago. Not some ancient revolt, or a dated civil war over old mindsets, but an ever-pertinent quest for equality within society. A fight still being fought forever afterwards." Oobleck paused to take a sip from his mug. "The Faunus War, a violent attempt for them to gain the rights they deserved. A bloodstained mark of history. The White Fang then was very different to how they currently are. They were a peaceful group dedicated to freedom for the faunus race, but as they realised they weren't gaining any ground, they turned violent, and vowed to gain the rights through any means necessary. They became a terrorist group, stealing dust, making peaceful demonstrations violent, and causing much more bad than good." The students scribbled the notes fiercely down, trying to catch up with their professor.

"It started ever since humanity started to become civilized in what light they had. They saw the faunus as unequals and not fully human, and therefore shouldn't have any basic rights at all. They were forbidden to live outside of Menagerie, confined to a small piece of land which was insignificant and not large enough for their survival. They had to do something to save themselves the only way they knew how to, war. They rose up and fought against the humans. It was a long, bloody battle. It lasted for years, and an ungodly amount of people died, came close, or was permanently scarred from battle. The sights and sounds were nothing anyone was used to seeing and hearing. The only worse sight was looking right in the eyes of almost any Grimm monster." Ruby was intrigued by how much Oobleck knew about everything he taught. She would've thought there would be some detail he would leave out, but nope, he just went along. "Everyone grew tired of the war, human and faunus alike. The White Fang was a group meant to lead the faunus and represent them to the human government. It was founded under the leadership of Jordan Swinger, a strong voice for peace during the war and a strong advocate for peaceful actions to gain the rights the faunus deserved. Although he was looked upon in high regard by both faunus and human, the race never gained any ground in the world other than being able to live outside Menagerie." Oobleck turned the board around for more room to hastily draw on more diagrams.

"They experienced even more discrimination than before the war. The brutal reconstruction left a sour taste in the mouth of the world. Faunus were deprived of even more basic rights, free speech, rights to own independant property, the right to work at any job they could, and many more after that. These discriminations were brought to Swinger's attention. The fact that his fellow faunus were being thrown in prison for speaking their minds in public and they were crammed in apartments the size of a small bedroom. Swinger started to organize public demonstrations, peaceful public demonstrations. He met with high-up government officials. He did everything in his power to try to gain the rights he wanted his race to have in a society that pledges equality, but delivers discrimination." His rapid movements only quickened it seemed.

"The lines of faunus in every major city, children, adults, teens and elders. All present to protest the unjust feeling towards their race. They protested the prejudice against them. The demonstrations lasted for months. Peace walks, protest lines, any other form of peaceful way to change things." He talked as if he was really there. It was odd to Ruby. "It felt like some major headway has been made since the inception of the campaign, but everything fell through. The faunus started to question the power they thought they had, the ability they possessed to change things, it all fell apart. Faunus began to look down to the White Fang as an inefficient faction the humans created to give the impression to look like they could have a say in their world. The White Fang began to crumble. Swinger felt his authority slipping away from him." Oobleck paused for a second to let his class try to catch up, but just started up again.

"Seven years ago, Jordan Swinger stepped down from his position as head of the White Fang. His farewell address to the council was very solemn.

'We find that our condition grows ever more desperate. Day by day, week by week, the faunus race is still discriminated as harshly as they were before the war. Maybe even worse now. I feel as though it may be, maybe majorly, because of my leadership. Peace talks broke down and protests have gone quiet. Our attempts at freedom from prejudice have failed, miserably. So, as of today, I step down from my position as leader of the White Fang. A new approach may work best for us all, but I hope it doesn't turn to bloodshed. The White Fang must remain a peaceful organization in order to win the respect of our fellow species. I wish to see the day faunus and human walk together hand-in-hand, but I am old, I don't believe the full liberation of my people will come in the rest of my lifetime, but I hope it eventually comes. I don't know who will take my position after my departure, but I know he or she will know how to go about fixing the wrong we have done. I hope for a day where we no longer fear the human race.' And yes, this will be on the test. Memorize this speech.

"The White Fang looked towards a new leader with a new way of thinking. A way of thinking that would win respect and rights to live equal to the human counterparts. That was Wring Leeter, a strong-minded individual that protested for faunus rights ever since he was born, really. Unlike Swinger, he looked towards violence as the answer. The White Fang agreed and began to start acting out in public, resisting arrest, attacking innocent civilians, stealing dust, even assassinating public officials. Leeter was praised because it worked, the faunus was beginning to become equal out of fear, not because humans saw them that way. They feared that they would become the next victim, why discriminate against an enemy so powerful they can beat them, burn them, break their bones, rip out their heart and destroy everything they own. People died from the actions from the new White Fang, traincarts full of dust were stolen, but the faunus gained the rights they desired." He literally said all of this in one breath, Ruby was impressed.

"The White Fang was a terrorist group now, no way around it. The fear they strike into the hearts of the public was undoubtedly greater than it ever has been since the war. Everyone walked with worry in every step. The White Fang disappeared from government meetings and stopped representing the faunus the way the original plan had entailed, they continued the organized attacks against anyone. There was less and less of a certain target. Anyone could be attacked. Schnee Dust Company, Council members, anti-faunus politicians and pro-faunus politicians alike. Their attacks stopped following a pattern, they just aimed at putting fear in the public. Their tactics worked, there was no denying that. But it worked the wrong way." Oobleck ran by his messy desk and picked up a paper from a disheveled stack.

He read the paper quickly and threw it behind him and started back up,"Going from prisoners of society to free because of fear, the White Fang caused many troubles for everyone. There is no explicit minority in the sights by the group. Everyone is a victim in this ordeal between the White Fang and the world. The only way to stop this group from continuing their horrible actions would be the end of the world or complete use of force to dissolve the group. And the end of the world would probably come first. " Now, class, remember to study this because the test will be coming up soon, and prepare to have an essay to complete for this. It is very interesting, I know, but we can't spend too much time on this. Our world is big and history never stops.

The bell rang right after that and everyone set down their pencils and took a deep breath. They were in no rush to get up or do anything, really. They all just sat there and let their minds catch up with them. Professor Oobleck gathered a small stack of papers and shoved them in a case, he picked up his mug and ran out of the room in a blur. Ruby decided to not go to the tournament, but Weiss is still going, Ruby could only make sure she ends up alright. Ruby sighed and got up to follow the others to lunch.


	6. Vytal Festival Ch 1

**RWBY: Vytal Festival**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

All of Vale was a buzz of the excitement of the upcoming tournament. All of the teams coming from all over the world doing last minute preparations for the big day. Ruby looked down from her room at Beacon, sad that she pulled her team out of the tournament, and that she still couldn't convince Weiss to stay out of it. She learned that Jaune's team is going to take her team's place, and that doesn't ease her feelings. Yang walked up behind her and put her arm around her.

"Ruby," she began, "don't worry, I'm sure Roman was lying."

"Well then that means we dropped out for no reason!" Ruby responded quickly, "And that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Well, no matter what happens, we'll be able to help. If Weiss goes and the White Fang attacks, we're only at Beacon. We will be able to help." Ruby turned towards her. "Ruby, I know it's hard to make these decisions, but you have to know that you can't look back and regret, only believe you made the best decision for the future."

Ruby looked down and breathed heavily, the light from the fireworks from the festival revealed the worried, tear-ridden face to Yang. She embraced her sister, attempting to calm her down. "Yang, how can I know what's best? I'm no leader. I don't have any way to know."

"Ruby. Listen to me, whatever you end up doing," she looked her in the eyes, "It will be for the best."

They both looked out towards Vale. The streets looked very lively, even from Beacon. Ruby looked back at Yang, "I don't know, What would dad have done?"

Yang looked down at her and hesitated, her eyes showing a new emotion. "Dad, dad would listen to his gut," she stopped, sat on the bed and looked at Ruby, "dad wouldn't look back, he'd charge forward and would only let the face of death keep him back." She smiled a faint smile, "Dad would make his decision and be adamant about it. He would keep his belief in his own judgement and not waiver at any indication that he may be wrong. He would be confident enough to keep going, and never have time to stop and look back." Ruby walked over and sat next to Yang, she smiled a little too. "That, Ruby, is what dad would've done."

"I wish he were here now," Ruby said.

"Me too, Ruby, me too." The two sat there, silently, they dared not to move. They thought about what their father would be like. A daring hunter or a charming adventurer. He was brave, that was a fact. His ability to fight was certain. Although, this is what they were told, they don't remember any of him themselves.

The next morning, Ruby awoke to Weiss getting ready to leave for the tournament. She wasn't able to compete without a team, but she was able to spectate and to miss this would be a catastrophe to her. They said nothing towards each other and once Weiss left, Ruby began repeat that she made the right decision. _It was for the best, _she thought to herself. Each time, however, lowered her confidence, and made her more and more unsure of herself. She did this for hours, just trying to calm her nerves, which it obviously wasn't working. She looked outside the window to see Vale with the sun high in the sky. No clouds, a perfect day. The sight made her crumble, her first major decision as a leader, and she messed up.

She heard the announcer faintly for the tournament announcing the schools and the teams. She almost fell out of the window trying to hear the tournament, waiting for something to happen. The introductions and the whole ceremony went over well, it sounded beautiful to Ruby. If there was any time for the White Fang to strike, it would've been then, but nothing happened.

The tournament would be done with every team facing off in a different closed-off section of the arena, and the winners would advance until there's only one left. The winners would receive money for their school and obviously major bragging rights. The rest of the team woke up now and began to watch with Ruby. No one said anything, they all waited for what Ruby was expecting. The air had a tension so intense, someone could cut it with a knife. They didn't talk, Ruby didn't even Blink.

The first round was about to begin, Beacon was facing Khaykai, another academy for hunters in another kingdom. Ruby heard it's pretty nice, and the campus is one of the best-looking in the winter. The announcer began the countdown, and then, there was a shot. A bright flash went into the sky and everything was quiet. Ruby knew, they all knew, and they had one thought, save them. They heard a voice come from the speakers they were listening to before, it was Roman.

"You all know what to do," he began, the girls already were running out the door to come help, "run away." Ruby worried about Jaune and his team, but mostly she worried for Weiss. What happens if something happens to her? Could she live with that guilt on her shoulders? Letting her teammate go without her approval, and then having to defend herself without the backup of her team? Ruby sped up in an attempt to get there faster.

When they arrived, they saw a gruesome scene, trucks with the White Fang emblem on the sides parked in front of where crowds were, blood splatters on the floors and walls. This was more than a terrorist action, it was a massacre. Body parts lay without bodies and heads rolled, hair saturated with blood. They all almost threw up at the sight and smell of it all. Police forces were there entering the fray in the stadium, and civilians were running in all directions. The rest of Team RWBY ran inside and readied their weapons.

Upon entering the grand stadium, they saw the students fighting for their lives, but there isn't much of a chance of surviving when they were fighting heavy machine guns. There was only running while they had the chance. The girls stopped soon after entering and looked around. "Does anyone see Weiss?!" Ruby shouted over the sound of the guns.

"We'll find her later, what about Roman?" Blake replied. They looked around and saw him, he was in the announcer booth still, trying to cut open a metal door. They ran their fastest, trying to avoid gunfire while still getting there in a reasonable amount of time. The White Fang turned and began to shoot at them, but missed on account of the speed the girls were running.

Ruby, Yang, and Blake all ran into the booth. They pointed their weapons at Roman, still shaken by what just happened. Ruby was the first to speak, "What is this?!"

Roman calmed himself and regained his usual posture. "Ruby, it seems you haven't taken my advice, I told you to stay away."

"We did, but we came when we heard trouble, and we saw what you've done! How could anyone be able to do this?!"

"Little girl, this wasn't my doing, I just know that this tournament has a large supply of dust somewhere, they do supply the hunters with it after all."

"Why do you need so much dust? And where's Weiss?"

"I don't have time for questions and I don't know where your little Weiss is. She doesn't concern me." Ruby looked out to the arena for a moment, she saw more blood and guts than before, and most came from the hunters that were supposed to be competing, and the White Fang approaching them. "I'll give you three seconds to leave before we have to kill you too." Roman said, annoyed that these girls showed up to another of his operations.

The clock ticked, and Ruby didn't know what to do at all, she didn't find Weiss, most of the people here were brutally killed, and the remaining were going to kill her and her team. _What would dad do?_ she thought.


	7. Vytal Festival Ch 2

**RWBY: Vytal Festival Ch. 2**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

Ruby looked back towards Roman with the White Fang aiming right at her team. Time slowed down and Ruby realized what to do. She gripped Crimson Rose tightly and darted towards the group. Blake and Yang were frozen in shock of what Ruby just did. Ruby deflected the bullets from the White Fang's guns, caught one of their legs and threw him up in the air, making him throw his gun. The machine gun hit the ground and fired off a shot, hitting the other White Fang in the leg, bringing him to the ground.

"What are you doing!?" Ruby shouted in a new tone towards her teammates. She never seemed so focused or angry before in her life. Her eyes glowed bright white."They're going to send more here!" Blake and Yang ran towards the door and readied their weapons. Ruby went over to Roman, who stood in the same spot, still composed as ever. She held Crescent Rose's blade up to his neck, she gritted her teeth and said in a furious tone, "I know you know where Weiss is, now where is she?!"

Roman smiled at her, "you're cute when you're mad." Ruby pushed the blade even harder, small drops of blood started to come from his neck. She growled, awaiting a serious answer. "Ok! Ok!" he said, starting to freak out, "When we came in, I saw her sigh and run out!" Ruby felt the blood on her clenched fists, but that didn't loosen her grip at all.

"Is that all you know? Be honest or I swear I'll end you!"

"Yes! Yes! That's all I know! I swear!" Ruby took her weapon down, blood dripping on the floor. Ruby felt the urge to finally end his life, but resisted. He got up, covered his neck with his hand and ran out, muttering how another operation was blown by Ruby. She began to calm down, knowing Weiss has a good chance of being alive and unhurt let her think rationally again. She took deep breaths and looked over at Yang and Blake, retreating from a fight.

"Hey Ruby!" Yang said, "Nice to see you've calmed down!"

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Blake asked, crouched behind cover.

"I-I don't know," Ruby began, "He was there just being him, and Weiss could've been in danger. And all that's happened, I kinda lost it. I'm sorry."

"No! Don't apologize!" Yang exclaimed, "That was awesome, you practically flew at him and destroyed those White Fang creeps without even touching them! It was awesome!"

"It's nice to know our leader knows how to fight." Blake added.

"Roman also said that she saw Weiss run out when they entered." Ruby said. Blake and Yang calmed down like Ruby did. Now Ruby has to lead them to Weiss, which could be anywhere by now. Ruby looked around the arena, all exits were covered by guards looking right at them. She looked at the door Roman tried to open, and it didn't seem like a bad idea to her. "Listen girls," they both looked at her, "we're going to smash open that door, and run." she said.

"So that's the elaborate plan you came up with?" Blake asked. "Can't you just go Super-Ruby or whatever and take out all these guys?"

"No, I don't know how to do that, it just happens." she responded. "And yes, that is all I came up with."

"Sounds great to me." Yang said. "Anything is better than this."

They darted for the door. Ruby pushed all her weight forward and the door snapped off its hinges, revealing a stairwell going up and down. They looked both ways and all decided to go down. They raced down the stairs, they could hear the footsteps of White Fang following them. When they reached the bottom, they were greeted by a dim, damp hallway, they closed and locked the door behind them.

"Great, There's nowhere to go now." Blake said, rolling her eyes. They began down the hallway when Ruby saw a sparkle in one of the rooms. She knew exactly what it was.

"Hey! Look at this!" She said, stopping her team. They went in the room to find a large pile of red dust. Ruby had an idea. "Help me get this to the doorway." She didn't tell any of the plan during this. They heard the men beating on the door and trying to shoot it open, but none of their attempts prevailed, the girls set the trap and got into place.

Ruby looked at her teammates, who gave a thumbs up, still not knowing what the plan was. She approached the door and quickly unlocked it and ran back to her hiding spot. The men looked inside, obviously confused about how the door magically unlocked on its own. They cautiously stepped forward, readying their weapons. Ruby put her hand on a small pile of the dust trap and began to control her breathing. Beads of sweat began to form on her face. She felt the energy concentrate more and more in her palm and she began to shake. She has almost never used dust before, but always wanted to use it more. She looked up at the men who were right on top of the trap, and she released the energy. A couple sparks and large flame erupted from the dust, traveling along the trail they set up. The soldiers' clothes caught on fire and the dust flame extinguished itself. Ruby wasn't that evil, she won't kill them.

The girls approached the men, their bodies were slightly burned, but it wasn't too severe. They took their weapons and threw them in a room and locked the door, took the men and threw them back out at the stairs, and moved on. They continued down the hallway at a leisurely pace. They didn't talk, just hoped to see Weiss around the corner or something. Their hopes were dashed by a door that lead outside and they didn't know if they should go back or go out.

"Ruby, do you think Weiss would be down here?" Blake asked, seeing Ruby looking back to see if they missed anything.

"Well, not really." she replied, turning back to them. They opened the door to outside to see that police and swat surrounding the area, news reporters scattered in the crowds, civilians gathered in buildings around the stadium, and they all looked at the girls. As they were surrounded by people, they tried to look over them to spot Weiss. As they tried to escape, they were asked to be interviewed for the news, to tell what it was like to the crowds spectating the event, or helping the officers. All of which they rejected, they just wanted to go find their friend and go home.

By the time they got out of there, the sun was setting and they were tired and depressed. They never found Weiss in town, which they assumed that she's probably gone. Ruby would have to tell Ozpin tomorrow. When they arrived back to their dorm, they saw the light on from the hallway, and became confused.

"Did you leave the light on Yang?" Blake asked.

"No, did you Ruby?"

"Don't look at me, I didn't do it."

They opened the door to see Weiss sitting in her bed, patching up her dress. "It's about time you showed up!" She said, "what were you all doing?"

"We were looking for you!" Ruby replied, hugging her excitedly. "What happened? Roman told me you left when he went in."

"I did. I heard the door open, I saw them with the guns, realized you were actually right and I was wrong, and left. End of story"

"You didn't try to help there?!"

"Heck no! I would get killed, and I'm not that stupid. But when I got back, I saw that you all had left, and it must have been in a hurry, this place was a mess."

"We heard the beginning from here and ran down. How did we not see you?"

"Probably because you don't pay attention, I called your names, but you just ignored me. Quite enraging if you ask me."

"Oh well, all that matters is that everyone's safe." They all hugged.

"What happened to Jaune and his team?" Ruby asked Weiss.

"I have no idea, when I saw them, they were in their area, but that was before the White Fang came in."

"Well," Ruby looked at all her friends, "I guess we can tell Ozpin in the morning. Maybe he can tell us what happened before we got there. Let's get some sleep."

"It's been a long day." Blake added.


	8. Vytal Festival Ch 3

**RWBY: Vytal Festival Ch. 3**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

When the girls woke up, the entire corridor was quiet. They didn't hear anyone from Jaune's team, no one heard them enter in the middle of the night or any of their early morning noises. They all feared the worst, but hoped for the best. Maybe they already went to breakfast, maybe they're still asleep, maybe they all overslept and classes started already. Either way, Ruby was going to Ozpin's office.

When Ruby approached his office door, she heard Ozpin talking, but she couldn't hear the other person. He sounded sad, as if he had to give bad news. She considered going to breakfast with her team. She turned around when his secretary saw her going back from his door and said in a polite, old-lady way, "Oh, dearie, I can buzz you in, he's not doing anything important."

"No no," Ruby replied quickly, "It's fine, I can just come back later."

"Nonsense!" she said, pressing the button to call Ozpin, "Professer, there's a nice girl here to see you"

"Oh really? Go ahead and send her in." he replied. The woman smiled at Ruby and opened the door. Ruby walked in and saw who Ozpin was talking to. Jaune was sitting there. His face was still dirty from yesterday and his clothes were torn and had blood stains. He looked afraid and sad. "Well, Ruby. What were you going to tell me?"

Ruby looked at him. "I was going to tell you that Jaune and his team didn't come back from the tournament, but I see that he's right here. So, I guess I'll just go now." she said slowly and kind of awkwardly.

"No, Ruby, stay. Just a bit. I know you went down there when you heard trouble." Ozpin said, standing up from his desk. "Jaune was just telling me about what happened yesterday."

Ruby turned back towards them and sat down in the other chair. "So, Jaune, what happened?" she asked.

"Yes, I guess we should start from when you showed up." Ozpin said.

"Well," Jaune began, "We showed up early for the tournament. When we walked in, there were a few people doing some cleaning and setting up cameras for broadcasting. But there were also some others just looking around, writing some stuff down. I just assumed they were planners. When we were warming up before the beginning ceremony, there were another group there that wasn't competing, but they were walking around the seating, looking at the announcer box, andbasically mapping the place out. They were using a video recorder to capture the entire stadium. I didn't really mind them, though."

"When the beginning ceremony was over and we were told where we would be fighting, we heard some commotion from outside, but dismissed it as spectators gathering. It is a tournament after all. Then we got to our starting spot, closest to the west entrance, and got ready. By the time we were about to begin, however, we heard a group burst in and single shot from a gun. Everyone in the audience scattered as the men shot at them, it was gruesome." Jaune paused.

"After the initial thought of 'I'm going to die like this' the fighters all decided to try to fight the White Fang away," he looked at Ozpin, "they aren't around anymore. When we decided that this fight would kill us, we ran. We came back here and just stayed in our dorms all day. It was an awful sight. Ruby, why did you even go down there?" Jaune asked.

"Yes Ruby," Ozpin jumped in, "why would you go down there knowing you are putting not only your life, but the lives of your teammates?"

"Because Weiss decided to go." Ruby said, "And I can't be a team leader if I don't help my teammates when they seem to need it."

"So you went into a terrorist attack to save Weiss?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes, yes I did."

"Well, Ruby Rose, I think you learned a bit of what it takes to be the leader I see in you." Ozpin said, "you're willing to risk yourself so that you can protect your team."

"So, that's it? There's nothing more we need to do about this?" Jaune asked.

"No, Jaune. All we have to do now is to help those who've been hurt. Ozpin said. "And get yourself cleaned up, you're a mess.

They laughed as Jaune and Ruby both left to get back to their dorms.

Roman runs into a dark warehouse on the docks of Vale, still holding his neck. He slams his cane on the table and sits down. He felt boiling anger rise from his body. Another plan was foiled by that girl and her friends. Oddly enough, though, it wasn't his anger, but it still came from inside him. He was truly calm, but something made him furious. The plans he didn't even want, but was forced to go through.

As roman took his hand away from his wound, he felt another presence behind him. Cinder. She walked toward him, her footsteps being as loud as she can make them. "Roman!" She calls out in an angry tone, "How did you mess this up?"

"It was that stupid girl and her friends again." Roman replied angrily. "Just look what they did to my neck!" He showed her the cut on his neck and the dried blood around it.

"The White Fang were there to make sure this plan didn't mess up, and somehow, you still let those girls come in and stop you? They should all be dead!" Cinder felt her hands get hot with anger.

"That red one has some ability, she was able to deflect bullets being shot at her."

"That doesn't matter! Don't compliment her abilities! Just don't let this happen again, or I'll have to step in myself, and you won't like it when I have to step in." Cinder got close to Roman, "Everyone becomes my enemy." Her eyes flashed white.

Then she walked off, angrily walking back to where she came from. Roman was left there, alone in the dark. He had to make sure Ruby didn't come to his next plan. He's seen Cinder upset before. It isn't a good sight to see at all. Fire and destruction, fury and death.

The rest of the night was spent recovering, Jaune's team and Ruby's spent all night talking about it, Vale mourned all the lost during the attack, and Roman spent the night tossing and turning in bed, trying to ignore the feeling in his body to plot his next move while trying to forget the faces of the innocent people he's killed.


	9. Light Night

**RWBY: Light Night**

_By: Adam Sandlin_

Light Night is a night most look forward to. It's a celebration observed worldwide. Wherever there are people, life stops for that week to be with family and friends. For students, they get a couple of weeks off from school. Beacon is no exception. As the last of the autumn leaves fell from the trees, and a cold breeze blew through the campus, friends and teams said goodbye to go back to their families. It was early morning, and everyone couldn't wait until they stepped into their own homes. Team RWBY was huddled together by the fountain in front of the building, they were talking with JNPR about their plans for their time off. Each one of them holding their luggage.

"What are your plans Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"I hope to spend time with my dad," Weiss replied, "that's the point of this."

"Well," Jaune began, "why do you hope if it's the point?"

Weiss looked at the clueless boy, disappointed by his lack of knowledge. "Jaune, my father runs a dust company that gets raided daily by the White Fang. He doesn't have time for me."

"Well he should make time." Jaune said, "Your his daughter."

"I'll tell you how much he cares about that after the break. So, Yang and Ruby, What are you doing?" Weiss asked, changing the subject.

"Well," Yang started, "when we get home, we'll probably be greeted by our mom, and will have to tell her all about Beacon."

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it's nice though, she's the best."

Blake sighed, no one even acknowledged that she didn't have a place to go. She was just going to hide in her dorm again after everyone left. "So," she began, "when are you all going to leave?"

"Why are you so eager to have us all leave?" Yang asked.

"Because I don't want to have to hear more about all of your loving families, and I'm just here hiding in the dorm."

"Oh, Blake!" Ruby exclaimed. "How could we have forgotten? Do you want to come with us?"

"No, it's fine." Blake responded. "I just want to be alone."

Everyone started to walk over to the station where they arrived. "Well, one semester later girls." Weiss said.

"It's been a dream." Ruby said lightly. She shook her head at the memories she's already made at Beacon. "I can't believe it."

The airship arrived and stopped, jolting the passengers already on it awake. Students picked up from other schools all looked around to see where they've gone. The girls got on first and found a place to put their bags. Everyone else sat back in their seats and went back to sleep or listening to their music. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss all got up to the window and waved goodbye to Blake.

The sun was high in the sky as Yang and Ruby got off the ship. They were close to their home, a cramped but cozy neighborhood. It was nice to see for the two. The same stray cat roamed the cobblestone street than before they went to Beacon. When they approached their home, their mother opened the door and hugged them tightly. "Oh! I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed. She was a small, middle-aged woman. She had a look of more genuine happiness than anyone will experience in their lifetime. She had a warm sweater on and a scarf. She was also wearing loose but warm pants.

They entered the small home to that it is the same as they left. "I've been so lonely since you left." She said sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. "Sit! Sit! Tell me all about this fantastic world you've been living in!" She bursted out, showing her excitement more than she wanted.

The girls put their bags down and sat in chairs by the couch. "Well, there's books and studying." Ruby said, picking the right things to say to not upset her mother.

"What kind of fighting did you do? Did you go to the tournament a couple of weeks ago?"

"There was some fighting," Yang said slowly, making sure she said the right thing the right way. "And we did go to the tournament."

"I heard something happened there, I don't know though, it could just be the wrong team won."

Ruby and Yang looked at each other, worried about what to say next. "Well, mom," Yang started.

"Yeah, some school from far away won. Beacon was actually beat pretty early for some reason." Ruby said quickly, completely trying to cover up the actual event.

Their mother simply smiled at them, just overjoyed that they're there. She went over into the next room and got a sheet of cookies. "I baked these before you showed up, so help yourselves!" she said.

They grabbed a few cookies from the sheet and sat back. "Anyway," Ruby said, "Where's dad at?"

"Oh," she said, suddenly losing her smile, "he's out."

"But it's Light Night's Eve," Yang said, "what could he be doing out?"

"He didn't say, but he just left."

There was a moment of silence, no one had anything else to say. Yang sprang up from her seat suddenly, "Welp!" she said, "I guess we should get to unpacking our things and getting some sleep. Come on Ruby." Yang started to walk toward the stairs.

"Alright," Ruby responded, "goodnight mom."

"Goodnight girls, love you."

"Love you too" they both responded.

They went up the stairs to their room, a small, cozy place with two old beds. The covers are exactly how they left them. "Ruby," Yang said, "do you think day's coming back in time?"

Ruby sighed, "I would like to hope so. But even if he doesn't show up, we'll still have a good holiday." They both put their clothes in their drawers and got into bed.

Light Night is a celebration of the first time humanity used dust to defend itself from the dark. It was a signal that they wouldn't go without a fight. A beacon to all life that humanity is there, and isn't going away. Families gather and demons scatter, everyone recognizes the day, and everyone knows what it means. The Grimm can best human on a micro scale, but will never win it all. It would take something more than they know to beat them.

While the heroes laughed with family, some in their own homes, some on their own, they are happy, truly happy. This is the one time they feel nothing but happiness, no hidden terror or faint pain.

But somewhere, is a villain, planning his next moves, and not resting until his plans come through. His only reward is victory, and that's all he'll need. His twisted soul seeing nothing but evil, thinking nothing better than desolating the great. He'll make the heroes fall to their knees, and won't let them get up. His brain, unable to think rationally, has lost all feeling of happiness, and only thinks of the torment he feels. His rotted, evil remains of a human is the only thing that could take down humanity.


End file.
